Your Garden, A Home for Nature

Award-winning garden designer Lynn Hill suggests easy ways to help turn your garden into a wildlife-friendly haven.

magine a garden full of scent and colour, where the planting feels as though it is giving you a warm embrace as you sit and enjoy the summer sunshine. Gardens mean the world to us, and when thoughtfully designed, they bring immense joy. However, it is not only people who benefit. With careful planting, gardens can become havens for wildlife, providing vital nourishment and shelter.

Individual gardens connect to form a rich tapestry of landscapes, creating essential wildlife corridors. As animals and insects move across boundaries, gardens become much more than the sum of their parts. Even the smallest of spaces can offer remarkable contributions to nature.

Across the United Kingdom, the combined area of private gardens is greater than the total area of all the nature reserves. Gardens can and do play a significant role in supporting biodiversity. Crucially, encouraging wildlife does not have to be complicated.

My tips for welcoming wildlife into your garden:
Provide food for pollinators throughout the seasons, using plants such as Campanula, Cirsium, Veronicastrum, Asters (Eurybia and Symphyotrichum species), and Viburnum tinus.

Select ‘single’ flower varieties wherever possible. Bees find it difficult to access pollen in ‘double’ varieties, so opting for single flowers, such as Rosa ‘Kew Gardens’, can make a real difference.

Allow parts of the garden to grow naturally, and create nooks and crannies for shelter. Leaving some areas of long grass and undisturbed corners with simple mown pathways provides a valuable refuge for a rich variety of wildlife. Introducing wildflowers such as Achillea, which bees and butterflies love, will also enhance the visual beauty of the garden.

Install bug hotels among your planting. These are easy and enjoyable to make and provide an excellent way for children to engage with nature.

Incorporate a water source, whether a small dish or a larger pond. Any addition of water will be highly beneficial for birds, insects, and amphibians alike.

As the sun reaches its highest point and we embrace the fullness of summer, enjoy your garden in all its glory. And remember, if you need a helping hand, I am here to inspire and bring your dream garden to life.